Untitled - Civic Exchange

More documents

Recommendations

Info

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT IN HONG KONG: DIRECTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES Table 7.2 Committed and planned rail projects in Hong Kong Committed Projects Length (km) Scheduled completion date Project cost (HK$billion) West Rail Phase I Tseung Kwan O Extension Ma On Shan Rail Tsim Sha Tsui Extension Sheung Shui to Lok Ma Chau Line Penny's Bay Link 30.5 12.5 11.4 1 7.4 3.5 End-2004 Mid-2002 2004 2004 2004 2005 51.7 24 16.3 2 8.5 2.6 Planned Projects Indicated completion Estimated cost Shatin to Central Link Island Line Extension to Western Kowloon Southern Link Northern Link Regional Express Line Port Rail Line 2008-2011 2008-2012 2008-2013 2008-2016 * * 27-37 19-20 7-8 9 13-17 5-9 * Dependent on cross-border traffic growth. Current rail financing mechanism The major rail operator, the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) Corporation is financed 80% by fares, 10% by property development rights around its stations, and 10% by miscellaneous sources, such as shop rentals in stations and advertising. The passenger rail systems in Hong Kong do not receive any direct government grants to help meet expenses. Therefore, the MTR Corporation can only build a new rail line when population densities are sufficient to ensure the commercial viability of the line from day one. In contrast, in other cities around the world, direct government grants play a major role in meeting the construction cost of new rail lines and, to a lesser degree, in meeting capital equipment and operating costs. 263 Such support is provided in recognition of the positive external (un-priced) benefits provided by off-road mass transit (less road congestion; faster, more predictable travel times; reduced air pollution and noise; and less loss of land for roads and their setbacks). Hong Kong appears to be a rare, and probably unique, case in the sense that its two passenger rail service providers are nearly self-financing. However, at all layers of government, policy-makers see the existence of rail subsidies in other parts of the world as evidence of the failure of those systems. 264 This belief seems to have clouded clear thinking on the issue of rail financing and prevented an examination of how Hong Kong could expand rail to serve the greatest possible number of people in a cost-effective manner (see Case Study 2 below). 82 263 Barron, W., Ng S., and Kwok, V. (2001), Financing Urban Passenger Rail: An International Survey, Hong Kong: Centre of Urban Planning & Environmental Management, University of Hong Kong. 264 Rail systems in cities such as London and New York suffer from under-investment and are poorly maintained when compared to Hong Kong's newer rail system, but this should not be confused with the issue of the extensiveness of their networks.
Chapter 7: The Dynamics of Decision-making in Hong Kong Case Study 2: Route 7 and Route 10 A look at the planning process for two of Hong Kong's proposed highways, Route 7 and Route 10, illustrates a number of key problems: • The failure of existing policy to promote sustainability and the maximization of resources; • Conflict between transport planning and overall planning; and • Bureaucratic reluctance to abandon outdated plans when the original rationale has changed or better alternatives have became available. Route 7 (Western Hong Kong Island) and Route 10 (Northwest New Territories) were designed in the 1980s to serve needs associated with the anticipated expansion of the container terminals at the southeastern end of Lantau Island. Route 7 was intended to provide a direct link between Kennedy Town and Lantau while Route 10 would link Lantau with the northwestern part of the New Territories. The port plan was dropped in 1999 after the decision was made to locate the new Disney theme park in Penny's Bay on Lantau Island, effectively eliminating the possibility of locating container terminals in this area, but the TB did not alter plans for Routes 7 and 10. 265 Instead, the TB announced that the purpose of Route 7 was to provide more convenient access to Lantau Island for motorists, while Route 10 was to serve as an alternative to Route 3, which was expected to become saturated by 2010-2011, although seriously underutilized in 1999. It was many months before the TB was willing to concede in public that the enormously expensive section of Route 7 linking Kennedy Town to Lantau Island via Victoria Harbor was no longer needed. Controversy then arose as to whether Route 10 also needed to be re-designed since its original purpose - to serve a new set of container terminals - was no longer valid. The TB initially maintained that no change in design was warranted. Route 10 It was only after a year of intense lobbying from public interest groups that transport officials agreed that construction of the southern section of Route 10 could not be justified, that construction of a HK$5 billion section on Lantau Island (the Chok Ko Wan Link) could be abandoned, and that access roads linking the southern section of Route 10 (the Tsing Lung Bridge) to Lantau Island could be greatly simplified. 266 Neither the CS nor the FS appear to have ever spotted the potential resource wastage the original plan would have entailed, nor does the Executive Council appear to have asked any critical questions regarding the proposal. The TB then began pushing for construction of the northern section of Route 10. Separately, the Secretary for Economic Services, who is responsible for port development, stated that "Route 10 could serve the needs of future development" in the northwestern New Territories and play a supporting role in expansion of the seaport. 267 However, this statement failed to acknowledge that new port plans are still far from being finalized. It is unclear that new facilities will be sited in the northwestern New Territories. Thus, the 265 The Disney theme park is under construction and is scheduled to open in 2005. 266 The Route 10 debate raged for most of 2001. Two community groups that took an active interest in the discussion, SOS-Save Our Shoreline and the Society for Protection of the Harbour, were most vocal about abolition of the Chok Ko Wan Link and the need to redesign the connection between the Tsing Lung Bridge and Lantau Island. The bridge was accepted as a useful alternative route to the airport at Chek Lap Kok. 267 South China Morning Post (2002), February 24, 2002. 83
Page 2 and 3:
Civic Exchange and the Asia Foundat
Page 4 and 5:
7. THE DYNAMICS OF DECISION-MAKING
Page 6 and 7:
SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT IN HONG KONG:
Page 8 and 9:
Page 10 and 11:
Page 12 and 13:
Page 14 and 15:
Page 16 and 17:
Page 18 and 19:
Page 20 and 21:
Page 22 and 23:
ROAD VERSUS RAIL - FINANCING MASS T
Page 24 and 25:
Page 26 and 27:
Page 28 and 29:
Page 30 and 31:
Page 32 and 33:
Page 34 and 35:
Page 36 and 37: SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT IN HONG KONG:
Page 44 and 45: CLEANER & MORE EFFICIENT ROAD TRANS
Page 60 and 61: HONG KONG'S FREIGHT TRANSPORT 6 Thi
Page 76 and 77: THE DYNAMICS OF DECISION-MAKING IN
Page 94 and 95: SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT FOR HONG KONG
Page 98 and 99: APPENDICES Appendix 1 The Environme
Page 100 and 101: AUTHORS Bill Barron (wbarron@hkucc.
Page 102 and 103: REFERENCES Airport Authority Hong K
Page 108: Civic Exchange Room 601, Hoseinee H
show all

Untitled - Civic Exchange

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?